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      Welcome to the Ludington High School Class of 1956 Web Site

 

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Class of "56" News & Announcements

 
 

January 1, 2010

 

Happy New Year 2010!!

 

The Class of 1956 sends our Best Wishes to everyone for a very successful and prosperous new year.

In this new year, remember the Third Tuesday of the month breakfast at the Big Boy in Ludington. It's a great time to meet and greet the classmates.

 

The home of the Orioles in Ludington, Michigan USA

 

November 24, 2009

Shirley Arlene (Hilden) Keson, 71, of Sheridan, died Monday, November 23 in Sheridan.

Shirley was born in Ludington on September 9, 1938 the daughter of Lloyd and Beth Hilden.

She married Fred Keson in Ludington on August 27, 1960. Shirley was retired from the Sheridan Hospital and was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Sidney.

 

 

November 12, 2009

 

You are never too old to go Trick-Or-Treating on Halloween! 

 

Photo Courtesy of Janelle Schade

 

Reshard Bentz was all decked out for Halloween 2009 at Oakview in Ludington.

 

 

September 25, 2009

 

Don't forget to mark your 2010 calendar on Wednesday September 8, 2010 for next year's Fish Boil.

 

September 9, 2009

 

LHS and St Simon Class of ‘56 met for their third annual Fish Boil on a beautiful, sunny, early September, Wednesday afternoon at Copyan Park in Ludington.  Roger and Gerry Hansen prepared the fish, the classmates brought their favorite dishes and we all had a very good time visiting with classmates and friends. Many thanks to Roger and Gerry for their extraordinary efforts and fine food and to Janelle and Pat for their planning and logistics.

 

Click on these thumbnails for the big picture.

 

 

 

August 17, 2009

 

LHS and St Simon Class of ‘56 will hold its third annual Fish Boil on Wednesday, September 9th to gather at 4 PM at Copyan Park.  The meal will be served at 5 PM.   Chef Roger and Gerry Hansen will prepare the fish, potatoes, onions and rolls.  Area classmates should bring a small dish to pass.  Table service will be provided.  For any questions call Janelle at 843-8131 or Pat at 843-4991.

 

 

July 21, 2009

 

Some snapshots of the July 2009 Third Tuesday Breakfast at the Big Boy in Ludington.

Click on the thumbnail to get the bigger picture!

 

 

 

July 1, 2009

 

Good News!  Rumor has it that Carole Engle Schierholt is back home and recovering. Send her a note!

 

June 20, 2009

 

Carole Engle Schierholt is battling an illness that does not allow visitors, however, she would appreciate your cards and letters.

 

Mailing address:

 

Carole Schierholt

Memorial Medical Center

1 Atkinson Drive, Ludington, MI 49431  

June 15, 2009

Reshard Bentz is very ill. He would appreciate cards and letters.

Send to:

Reshard Bentz
Oakview Medical Care Facility
1001 Diana Street 
Ludington Michigan 49431

May 19, 2009

The Third Tuesday Breakfast at the Big Boy in Ludington is always an interesting gathering!

December 30, 2008

Jeanne Sjoholm Kagey has some comments and notes on her "going back to school" college experience. The Jeanne Blog! Read about it here. Updated December 30, 2008.

September 22, 2008

Recently, Richard Karstens, brother of LeRone (Larry) Karstens was replacing a door in his house when he discovered a yellowed piece of history. A list of 8th grade graduates in Ludington schools was found in a June 1952 newspaper being used as insulation around the door. Are you listed?  Check it out here! (Our Thanks to the Ludington Daily News)

September 14, 2008

Don't forget to mark your 2009 calendar on Wednesday September 9, 2009 for next year's Fish Boil.

September 10, 2008

The Class of "56" met for a Fish Boil at Copyan Park in Ludington on September 10, 2008. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect temperature and the company was great! A very special guest for the picnic lunch was 87 year old Hal Madden.  Chef Roger Hansen did his normal splendid job of boiling up delicious fish and veggies. The rest of dinner was pot luck deluxe! To top off the perfect weather, a most enjoyable entertainment was provided by the talented Sharon VorderLandwehr Rathbun and her steel drum Caribbean music.  Check out the big smiles and happy faces! We had fun!

 

August 15, 2008

We had a true hero in our high school class, and after more than 38 years, some details of Bernard Meister's life after high school have finally been brought to light.

Recently, Rob Meister, Bernard Meister's son contacted us to offer some pictures of his dad in the military after high school.  Rob found us via this web site and sent the following information and pictures.  

Bernard Meister joined the Marines immediately after high school and after serving his enlistment, became a police officer in Memphis, Tennessee. He was married in 1960 and had one son born in 1963. In 1966 Bernard joined the Army and became a helicopter pilot and served a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967. He returned to Fort Walters Texas in 1968 and completed flight school in Cobra AH-1G helicopters. In 1969 he returned to Vietnam and was flying a Cobra gunship during the last 10 days of this second tour when his helicopter went down on January 26, 1970 as the result of hostile fire. Although he survived the crash with multiple injuries and was rescued, Bernard Meister unexpectedly died in a military hospital in Japan on February 14, 1970. In December 1970, Bernard was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for support of combat operations and "heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight". During his military service, Bernard was also awarded the Soldiers Medal, the Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with V and 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star, the APR Medal with Numeral 35, and an undocumented Silver Star. 
 

Click on the thumbnail to see the bigger picture!

Bernard Meister in the Military

 

May 15, 2008

Mary Adams Wickwire and John Fellows had the pleasure of presenting the LHS and St. Simons Class of 1956 Scholarship Award to Rebecca St. Johns on May 15 in the Hawley Gymnasium at Ludington High School. Rebecca is a member of the Ludington High School class of 2008 and expects to attend college this fall. More details on this story later.

April 16, 2008

The Scholarship Committee reports that the Class of ’56 Scholarship will be awarded on May 15, 2008 at 12:30PM in the Hawley Gymnasium of Ludington High School on Tinkham Avenue during an assembly open to the public.  The committee will be allowed to present the scholarship and it would be really great if we had a good representation of class members there to show support for this effort. The scholarship funds are in the neighborhood of $2,600.00.

April 15, 2008

The Third Tuesday breakfast at the Big Boy in Ludington on April 15 was an early morning treat. Where were you?

February 19, 2008

Francis P. (Fargo) Harper, formerly of Ludington and Spring Lake, died Feb. 8 in Venice, Fla. She was born in Frankfort on Nov. 6, 1937 and she married Bill Harper in 1956. She graduated from Ludington High School in 1956, received a bachelor’s degree at Grand Valley College and a masters’ degree at Wayne State University in Detroit. She taught elementary school in Grand Haven, retiring in 1996 and moving to Florida.

December 23, 2007

We have added some interesting pictures from Longfellow 8th Grade, Girls and Boys (1952) and Star School (1943 and 1944) in the Photo Gallery. If you have an old class photo or class member(s) photo you would like to see in the photo gallery, send an e-mail to the webmaster (bottom of this page) to made an arrangement for sending the photo(s). 

December 18, 2007

Some candid photos from breakfast at the Big Boy in Ludington Tuesday morning December 18, 2007.

Click on the thumbnail to see the bigger picture!

November 19, 2007

Jeanne Sjoholm Kagey has some comments and notes on her "going back to school" college experience. The Jeanne Blog! Read about it here. Updated November 19, 2007.

September 13, 2007

The Class of 56 had a wonderful and delicious Fish Boil at Copyan Park in Ludington on September 12, 2007. It was sunny skies and 60 degrees. Typical Ludington weather for September. Chef Roger Hansen made the main dish and it was pot luck for everything else! Many thanks to all of you who planned and worked to make this happen.  The Fish Boil was so enjoyable and we had so much fun, we expect to do it again next year on the second Wednesday of September.  Hopefully, we can persuade Chef Roger to do it again next year if he recovers from the honeymoon!

On January 20, 2007, Gerry (The former Gerry Pehrson Klaft) and Roger Hansen

The Honeymooners

tied the knot and are still celebrating! There is a rumor they dated for 23 years so maybe it was about time! Gerry is retired from her job as Ludington City Clerk. Congratulations to Gerry and Roger!

Don't forget to mark your 2008 calendar for Wednesday, September 10, 2008.

Here are some candid photos from the September 12, 2007 Fish Boil.

Click on the thumbnail to see the bigger picture!

July 17, 2007

A Note from Luella Spaulding:

To all of my classmates....
    From the bottom of my heart I thank you for all the help you have given me over the past few years, through the many gifts, prayers, breakfasts, and for some of you even exhausting labor.  I deeply appreciate each and every act of kindness.  LHS class of '56 has the best classmates ever!!  May God, who sees all, bless each of you richly.  Thanks again.
Luella Spaulding        

May 1, 2007

Ever had a vehicle drive through your house?  Judy DeGergus Thayer recently did! Bob Thayer was sitting in the living room of their home near Dayton, Indiana on May 1st when a car drove through the living room and out into a field behind the house, narrowly missing Bob. Needless to say, it was a traumatic experience. Judy arrived home moments later to find a big hole in the side of the house and one freaked out husband. The driver of the Ford Thunderbird apparently had some kind of medical problem but was otherwise unhurt. Bob suffered a cut on his shin. Hopefully, they also checked Bob Thayer's throat and made sure his heart is OK. Contact Judy for more details.

Reported courtesy of the Journal & Courier, Lafayette, Indiana

February 26, 2007

The Scholarship Committee has initiated our Class of 1956 Scholarship Fund at the Ludington School District. The fund amount at this time is $2,627.79 and represents the entire balance of our account following our successful 50th reunion in September 2006.  More details on the Scholarship Fund and instructions on how to contribute money to the Class of 1956 Scholarship Fund here.

Reported by Mary Adams Wickwire

 
                    Class of "56" Calendar of Events
   
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